Camel
Rajaz

I decided to dedicate this dereview to... If you like, you can read it all the way to the end to find out to whom. Or you can skip directly to the last lines. After the commendable "Stationary Traveller" of '84, Camel went through a difficult period. Only seven years later, thanks to the efforts of Andrew Latimer (the only survivor of the group), Camel managed to reconstitute themselves with a new operational base in Mountain View, California.

After two albums, both excellent by the way, in 1999 "Rajaz" was released. In my opinion, this present album is superior to the famous "The Snow Goose," which is slightly fragmented. Sure, in "Rajaz" there's no longer the incomparable A. Ward on drums, P. Bardens on keyboards, D. Ferguson on bass. However, Latimer has always remained a great guitarist and over the years has also become an impressive multi-instrumentalist. The construction of his guitar solos is excellent, not for the high technical rate, but for the intense lyricism and melancholy. His music has not adapted to new musical trends but has maintained the progressive spirit of the '70s, evolving only in part. It's no coincidence that Latimer defines his music as "Emotional Music." The entire album is loaded with vaguely oriental sounds and possesses both refinement and homogeneity.

It begins with "Three Wishes," an instrumental with a slow and calm start that then proceeds increasingly rapidly with highlighted guitar breaks. "Lost And Found" is a song with intense and convincing vocals, closing with long guitar phrases. "The Final Encore" is a track with a cadenced rhythm and the deep, calm voice of Latimer. "Rajaz" is a sad piece with cello by B. Phillips and flute by Latimer. An extremely charming track. "Shout" is a simple and calibrated acoustic ballad. "Straight To My Heart" is a stunning autobiographical sung track. The instrumental "Sahara" is among my favorite tracks. It starts as a slow piece and then gradually unfolds with a phenomenal guitar solo. It closes with "Lawrence," a powerful piece dedicated to Sir. Thomas. Edward. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia." An extremely evocative piece where the guitar solo reaches peaks of absolute emotional and expressive force. Undoubtedly a masterpiece (in my opinion). A magical album that will transport you to distant and mysterious places.

Also noteworthy is the fold-out booklet where the image of the guitar blends with the desert dunes. A cover worth four stars. The explanation for the album's title is perfectly clarified by the following words present in the booklet.

The music of poets once carried caravans across the great deserts. Sung to a simple metre of the animal's footsteps, it transfixed weary travellers on their sole objective...journey's end. This poetry is called "Rajaz." It is the rhythm of the camel.

PS: "I dedicate this review to A. Latimer in hopes that he recovers from his not so good physical conditions, so that he may return to composing new, exciting music."